Making the most of not that relevant experience as an aspiring psychologist

Jingle Singer (: 00:00

If you are looking to become a psychologist, then let this be your guide. With this podcast at your side, you'll be on your way to being qualified. It's the Aspiring Psychologist podcast, with Dr. Marianne Trent.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 00:29

Hi, welcome along to this first ever Aspiring Psychologist podcast. I am Dr. Marianne Trent, and I am hoping that you are going to find this a really useful resource.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 00:42

I am a clinical psychologist, and I know that in your position, when it was my time to be an aspiring clinical psychologist, that I would've found this really useful. So, I hope you do too, but please do feel free to get in contact with me and shape this, make this what you want. I'm aiming that the podcasts are all going to be a similar length, not any longer really than 20 minutes, unless I've got interviews happening. Often as short as 10 minutes. But they're not scripted, I've got ideas of what I will be talking about. But I'm going to be drawing on current themes in psychology and thinking about current events and also issues that are really pertinent to you as an aspiring psychologist.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 01:44

So, who are you? In my mind, you are quite possibly already graduated from your undergraduate psychology degree. And you are maybe working in some kind of relevant industry, trying to gain some experience. Or, as I have been in the past, you may be in something that doesn't feel terrifically relevant. So I worked for quite a long time at Argos head office. So I'm originally from the Milton Keynes area. And that is where you could find me, having a lovely time with my colleagues doing my job very well, but actually punching into that phone system at 8:59 AM, seeing that clock tick over to 9:00 AM. I'm thinking, "Oh dear God, I cannot wait to see that clock say 5:00 PM, so I can punch out again."

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 02:58

So I feel like I've always had the ability to make the most of whatever situation that I find myself in. There were aspects of that job that I really enjoyed. And it certainly showed me really useful skills about the customer service role, but for stores. So when stores are having a hard time, or needed problems with stock or sorting something out, they would call me. I can't even remember what the team was called. It was a while ago. But I was decent at the job, I got good feedback from my managers and popular with my team. And the ability to play office chair Olympics was definitely around when the phone lines were quieter. So, I made the most of it.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 03:55

And also at that time Argos head office had free vends on their drinks vending machine and their hot chocolate was really rather good. And also their vegetable soup and chicken soup was pretty good too. So I'd often have a hot chocolate or a little cup of soup around 10 o'clock. And I used to like a late lunch. I used to like a late lunch, so I'd go to lunch about two o'clock because, of course, if you've ever worked in a phone or customer service call center, you have to stagger your lunches because you need to make sure there's always enough people to be able to answer the phone. So I'd nominate myself to have a late lunch, which would be two till three. And then I'd get back and I'd only have two hours left. Winning. I think I also got a tea break. I think the breaks weren't paid, I can't remember.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 04:50

But you know, I had great fun. And actually got really lovely memories of the day that one of my managers wound up one of my friends who had Cs, S, Cs and Ts in his name and actually prised off the keys and swapped them around. Because she knew that his typing wasn't that brilliant. And so, every time he typed his name at the end of a note that he'd recorded for a client call, it was wrong saying his name. I'm going to tell you, his name was Chris Arnott. But he couldn't work out why every time he typed his name, it was coming out as ‘Chrit Arnoss’ and it still makes me smile to this day. I still think about you Chrit Arnoss!

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 05:37

So absolutely, I think there's learning to make hay while the sun shines, as they say. So, even if you are not in an industry that feels that relevant, it is important to think about how you can turn it to your advantage, how you can perhaps ask for some more responsibility. So I recognised actually, my skills were perhaps a little bit above, I wasn't firing on all cylinders. I wasn't using all of my brain power in that role. And so I asked to have additional responsibilities of looking at the data for the calls and for looking at the data for the staff on duty. And actually, it meant that I was able to punch out of that phone system, which meant that I was less traceable as well in my own data.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 06:40

So when the manager was doing the data, you'd get things in your inbox saying that you'd been logged in for how many minutes, and what your average call length was, and how much gaps you were having between calls. But when I took on all this extra duty, it actually meant that my data was completely bunkum. It didn't make any sense because of course I wasn't logged in for large portions, which skewed the data. And so it meant my manager didn't really know what I was up to. Even though it was a shared office, so they could see what I was doing. But it just allowed me to take my foot off that gas pedal a little bit, and find a little bit of breathing room.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 07:25

And those of you who are listening to this, you may find that you are in a really highly demanding role. So, you might be perhaps in an IAPT service, or something like that. You might have real high demands on your time, and it's really hard to catch that breathing space. But you might still, regardless of your role, be able to think about how you could use your unique skills and talents, even if it is a relevant psychology role that you are working in, to really be able to help yourself stand out, and to help you to gain that relevant experience.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 08:07

So, this was supposed to be an introduction to the podcast and to me, and why you might want to listen. And already I can't help myself but share information with you. So let me give you a typical day for someone that had contacted me recently, because this shows us just what jobs you might be applying to, or what jobs you might be doing currently whilst trying to further your career in psychology: 9:00 AM an appointment which was complex, so finished at 10:30. 10:30 notes for that appointment. 11:00 AM an appointment. So, that would be a client appointment. 12:00 PM, my manager wanted to talk about a supervisee who's on sick leave. 12:30, my own line management with another supervisee. 1:00 PM, supervision with another supervisee. Two o'clock same as above. 3:00 PM, personal counselling and 4:30 line management with a supervisee.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 09:17

And in the background there was occupational health policy and stuff for looking after the wellbeing of this person's team. It's a busy job. We are absolutely, in the health service, asking a lot of people working in roles who are aspiring psychologists. So of course we know that, as an aspiring psychologist, you do have unique skills and talents. But it's also important that we make sure that we are not being asked to work outside of our competencies. Anybody in that kind of demanding role would find that quite an ask. Even me, in my role as a qualified psychologist, would find that a pretty demanding day.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 10:15

So, when I was in the NHS I was able to structure my own time, in my most recent job. So I'd manage my own diary, so long as I was able to demonstrate that I was obviously seeing the number of clients per week and had enough clients on my caseload, but to achieve 50% face to face time. So that's often quite common. But I know that across the country, roles more junior than mine are being expected to have a much higher face-to-face ratio. But that's really challenging. And we have to think about at what cost to you as an individual. Because actually, one of my favorite things about my job is the ability to hold people in mind, and to have those random moments of connection where I'll be doing something like some paperwork, or writing up the notes.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 11:21

Or I might even be off duty chopping carrots for my children. If you are a parent, is it just me who seems to be perpetually peeling carrots and chopping peppers? My children are not big vegetable eaters, but one of them likes carrots and one of them likes peppers. I feel like it's just a constant Groundhog day. If you've got any other advice for vegetables that are tolerated by children, also feel free to fling them my way. So, these are demanding roles. And actually whilst chopping these carrots and peppers, I don't have to use my full brain capacity. I probably should, as I might chop a finger off. But I like the flexibility, and the time and space, that it gives me to be able to think about clients. So, if I'm out on a run and I see someone and it reminds me of something we've spoken about in a session, I like the ability to be able to join up the dots and to reflect on my clients.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 12:28

And I actually do often tell my clients when I have done that. And especially if I've been in supervision, sometimes I tell the client that I have spoken about them in supervision. But I tell them that that's not unique to them. This isn't me saying I can't do this work. It isn't me saying, “I don't know what to do”, as it being about trying really advance this work to make it more optimal and thinking about actually for my own professional development, it is a requirement that I am supervised by somebody more senior and more experienced than myself. So I hope that's useful for you. And please, if you do want any more examples about how I talk to clients about certain things do let me know, and we can shape a podcast episode around that.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 13:22

So, before we finish for today, I thought I would tell you a little bit more about myself. So, you do know now that I'm Dr. Marianne Trent, clinical psychologist, and have also worked in Argos head office. But clearly I didn't get to be a clinical psychologist just from working in Argos head office. So, I qualified in 2011. So my training started at a university in the Midlands in 2008. So, I was filling out my DClinPsy form for the Clearing House programs in 2007. And I speak to you right now as the process for the 2021/2022 applications are open. So, it's application season. So, application fever. If you are looking for any support or guidance in how to complete your form, then do check out my YouTube videos on Good Thinking Psychological Services. And there are a series of live Q&A videos that I did in September this year, so 2021. And I also did some in the application season last year. So the 2020 season as well. So, do check those out.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 14:49

And also I am the lead author of the Clinical Psychologist, Collective: Advice and Guidance for Aspiring Clinical Psychologists. So, you might not be an aspiring clinical psychologist. You might be a different sort of aspiring psychologist, but my expertise is clinical psychology. But of course there is lots of crossover in the things that we are talking about, so I hope you will still find this useful. And do check out that book and check out those YouTube videos, if you would welcome some guidance from me, but also a collective of qualified and aspiring psychologists. 600 years’ worth of cumulative experience on offer in those pages.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 15:43

So, my clinical specialty is working with trauma, depression, and anxiety in adults. But I also do eating disorders work. Because I do find there is a great deal of crossover with trauma and eating disorders, because of nature, of control, which can be really key post-trauma. Before I was specialising in that and working with adults, I worked for four years in a CAMHS service. And that's what I did when I first qualified, worked in CAMHS, which I loved. But I became a mummy for the first time whilst I was working in that service. And it was 26 miles each way in really, really heavy traffic on the M6. And so a job came up closer to home, that was a promotion. And it felt like a bit of a no-brainer. Even though it meant moving from my beloved children's services to adults. But actually I rose to the challenge and have really, really enjoyed it. And now I would happily call myself an adult specialist. But it means that I also feel really comfortable in working with young people, but currently I am private practice only.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 17:05

So in April, 2021, so quite new, I left the NHS and now work solely in private practice. And I only see adults in my clinic, or age 16 and above anyway. I don't see any of the younger ones anymore. And, due to the pandemic, I am online only. But that is likely to continue, because it works well for me and it works well for my family. I have a great resource that I've created, called the Our Tricky Brain Kit, which is based on compassion-focused therapy theory for helping clients and staff teams to understand the role of trauma and depression on mental health. And I also am the lead author and put together the book The Grief Collective: Stories of Life, Loss and Learning to Heal. So, if you would welcome learning some more about grief, or you are grieving yourself, then you might really find it useful to check out that as a resource. It's available in paperback and ebook.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 18:20

And I'm working really hard on the ebook for The Clinical Psychologist Collective being available. So I'm hoping it'll be available by the time you are listening to this. But it's not behaving itself at the moment! We're just going to break for a short ad break, and I'll be back with the last part of this first podcast episode very soon.

Jingle Singer (: 18:49

If you're looking to become a psychologist, then let this be your guide. With lessons and experience that will help you get qualified. So, come and take a look, it's right here in this book. It's The Clinical Psychologist Collective.

Jo (: 19:29

I'm Jo, and I work as an assistant practitioner in a CAMHS service in Lancashire. I bought and read Marianne's book, the Clinical Psychologist Collective to accompany me while completing the clinical psychology training application. It proved to be really good company. I found it sparked ideas of how to build experience and skills. But more than that, it offered the chance to get lost in people's stories. It provided a timely reminder not to get so caught up in an end goal, and to value and enjoy each job we fulfill along the way. Because the work we do now is important and matters to those we sit alongside, as well as ourselves. It also gave the reassurance that there are eclectic roots into clinical psychology, which is important for me as someone who's had a meandering journey and not a typical route to the profession. I wholeheartedly recommend the book for both personal and professional reasons. Be prepared to put evening tasks on hold for a while though, because once you've started reading, it's tough to put it down.

Jingle Singer (: 20:31

If you are looking to become a psychologist, then let this be your guide. With lessons and experience that will help you get qualified. So come and take a look, it's right here in this book. It's The Clinical Psychologist Collective.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 21:19

Hi, welcome back. Thanks for sticking with me. I thought it would be useful to think about some of the upcoming themes that we've got scheduled for our future podcast episodes, so that you know what's coming and you are, hopefully, subscribing to this podcast and telling anyone you think might find it useful. But I understand and recall what it's like to be an aspiring psychologist and it can feel incredibly competitive. So, if you want to keep this as your own guilty pleasure, something that's useful, that's okay, too. So we are going to be thinking about using supervision and supervisory relationship. We're going to be thinking about life events and psychology. Going to be thinking about teaching and training. I'm going to be thinking about conducting assessments, and our relationships with clients. Going to be thinking about issues of diversity and equality. Thinking about research, and other ways of evaluating what might be going on within services as well.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 22:35

So this is a really broad brush of the things that I'm hoping you guys will find really, really useful. But I do need to know from you what you would like to listen to. I've also got some ideas for thinking about money and financial planning. So, there's lots of cool stuff coming up. And actually I wanted to put this podcast together because it can be really useful to have people that speak your language. And hopefully, in terms of practicalities, I hope this you can understand me clear enough, but that's not really what I meant. Sorry, it can be quite tricky with the way we speak can't we sometimes? But someone that can be on your page, and is getting you, and the issues that are important and pertinent to you right now in order to progress your career.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 23:36

Because we are a breed not like many others. I think our drive, certainly my own recollection of my drive to get to where I wanted to be could be pretty relentless. And people would be like, well, I don't get it. Like, well just get a different job or stay at Argos and go and be a buyer or something. I said, well, that doesn't light my fire. I really love this work. And so if that is you, if that describes you, then I am on your page and I am so keen to help you advance in your work with people. And I'm going to be running a free five day challenge to further super-boost your incredible abilities as an aspiring psychologist. So, look out for details about the free five day challenge, which is coming very soon. And I will get the details to you on how you can register for that, as soon as possible. But the website address for the holding list, for the mailing list, is www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/aspire. A-S-P-I-R-E.

Dr. Marianne Trent (: 25:03

And if you check that out, click on the link, you can get yourself on the mailing list for the next free five day challenge. That will continue to run, and you will be continually updated with the details of when the next challenge is. So, I hope you found our first episode of the Aspiring Psychologist podcast really useful. Please, don't be shy, do let me know if you've got any feedback. And rate and review this podcast and subscribe, of course. And I will look forward to catching up with you for the next episode, next week. Take care.

Jingle Singer (: 25:37

If you are looking to become a psychologist, then let this be your guide. With this podcast at your side you'll be on your way to being qualified. It's the Aspiring Psychologist podcast, with Dr. Marianne Trent.